10. Roman Abramovich (Chelsea)

9. John Fredriksen (Valerenga)

8. Paul Allen (Seattle)

7. Francois Pinault (Stade Rennais)

6. Rinat Akhmetov (Shakhtar Donetsk)

5. Lakshmi Mittal (QPR)

4. Alisher Usmanov (Arsenal)

3. George Soros (Man United)

2. Amancio Ortega (Deportivo La Coruna)

1. Carlos Slim (Club Pachuka, Club Leona and Real Ovideo)

Header image: “Stamford Bridge, Chelsea” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Tom Cuppens

10. Alex Song

This defender-turned-midfielder turned out to be a hit at his former club, which is why the hierarchy at Barca kept an eye on this tall and strong Cameroonian. However, after getting transferred to Barcelona, he wouldn’t get a spot in the first team to prove himself better than Sergio Busquets and truth be told, he’ll be regretting ever moving to Spain.

9. Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane was a lethal striker but his move to Liverpool, while it may have been “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, proved itself to be a horrendous transfer. The forward rarely got to play and when it did get on the pitch, it would either be out of position or for a very short spell. It’s a good thing he left for Tottenham, where he would get the opportunity to revive his career.

8. Michael Owen

The former Manchester United striker used to play for Liverpool before going to Real Madrid. Once he left Anfield, he’d be plagued by injuries for the rest of his career and would rarely get off the bench in a match. Perhaps he wasn’t suited for Madrid, which is a matter for debate. He wasn’t fast enough to get behind the defenders and escape an offside. He might have international caps but at club level, he could have achieved a lot more than what he did and maybe he’ll continue to wonder what might’ve been for the rest of his life.

7. Theo Walcott

This case is quite odd, since some might argue Theo Walcott was nurtured to a greater extent in Arsenal rather than his previous club Southampton. However, there is no doubt that the forward has failed to hit his potential with the Gunners.

6. Jack Rodwell

Many expected great things from this budding English midfielder during his time at Everton, and he was even called up to the national squad as well. However, his £15 million transfer to Manchester City would prove erroneous, as he managed only 16 appearances in two seasons at the Etihad. He now plays for Sunderland.

5. Robinho

Great footballers usually start at a minor club and move to giants such as Real Madrid; but then perhaps Robinho isn’t that great after all. Signed by Real Madrid when he was just 19, he showed the world what he’s capable of and Manchester City, having been acquired by Saudi owners, came in with copious amounts of cash to buy the player. He admitted that his transfer to Man City was the worst move of all; a feeling that will be reciprocated by the Citizens’ fan base. He was also cited as having attitude problems during his time in the EPL.

4. Juan Sebastian Veron

Sir Alex Ferguson broke a transfer record by buying the Argentine midfielder for £28 million. However, EPL demands a lot more from players and Veron, unfortunately, didn’t have all that much to offer to the league. After two disastrous seasons where he represented the Red Devils on just 51 occasions, he was sent back to Italy.

3. Andy Carroll

After Torres had left Liverpool, the club had to look for other alternatives and Andy Carroll, aged just 22, seemed to be the perfect choice at the time. It surprised many that instead of using the cash to buy a world-class striker, Liverpool opted to buy Carroll. The Englishman was plagued with injuries in Liverpool and managed to score only six goals for the Reds. Even defenders score more than that for them on a permanent basis.

2. Kaka

There isn’t any doubt that Kaka is a great player and many may be surprised to see his name on the list. But the Brazilian legend just wasn’t suitable for Real Madrid. Some may argue that he was at his peak when he initially transferred but nevertheless, from a goals and money point of view, Kaka was a flop at £65 million. Happily for him, he returned to Milan in 2013, the club which made him into a prodigy.

1. Fernando Torres

The wonder blunder of our list, Chelsea will do anything to get back their £50 million and give Liverpool back their star striker. Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, he’s managed to score only 20 goals in nearly 100 matches. His three-year-long run of disappointing form has led him to be loaned out to Milan this season.

Header image: “Fernando Torres & Laurent Koscielny 2” (CC BY 2.0) by Ronnie Macdonald

The English Premier League is arguably the best league in the world. However, Spain’s La Liga provides five of the highest paid football managers in the world. Unfortunately, Italy’s Serie A does not even make the list.

Today, we present the top ten best-paid soccer managers in the world; those with the highest salaries.

The Top 10 Football Managers with the Highest Salaries

10. Jorge Jesus

Soccer manager of: Benfica

Salary: $5 million

Obviously, Benfica is not a giant club compared to the other clubs in this list of top 10 highest paid football managers. The Portuguese club are not Champions League title contenders and can’t also afford to buy expensive players from other clubs.

However, the Portuguese club manager Jorge Jesus is one of the highest earning managers in the world, earning $5 million per year. While at Benfica, the coach has won two league titles and Benfica have come out as runners-up for two years running.

9. Manuel Pellegrini

Soccer manager of: Manchester City

Salary: $5.75 million

This ninth spot on the list of top ten highest paid football managers is definitely going to surprise soccer fans. Looking at Manchester City’s spending during the transfer window it was expected that the City manager would be earning more than the $5.75 million he actually receives from the club.

During his time at Manchester City, Manuel Pellegrini has proved his worth; each and every cent of what he is getting paid. He has led the Citizens to their third title and secured a place Champions League round of 16 for the second year running. This season, Pellegrini will be looking to triumph by adding another Premier League title to City’s collection.

8. Jurgen Klopp

Soccer manager of: Borussia Dortmund

Salary: $6 million

Klopp is very much popular among the Dortmund supporters. He is also well known for his pitch-side fashion sense. He has a very unique kind of gestures and facial expressions, which incredibly makes him famous and loved by many football fans in the world. Despite Dortmund’s poor league form (they currently sit in relegation zone in the Bundesliga), Borussia Dortmund are still very much on track in the UEFA Champions League after displaying some brilliant performances.

Undoubtedly, Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers in the world. The German has achieved quite a lot with Borussia Dortmund, managing to lead the side to two Bundesliga titles.

7. Arsène Wenger

Soccer manager of: Arsenal

Salary: $10 million

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is number seven on the highest paid managers in the world list. Despite being criticised by many football fans and journalists, the Frenchman has led his side to a consistent top-four finish every year and above local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite his lack of recent silverware at the club, the 67-year-old is still on the list of the highest-earning football manager in the world, pocketing $10 million a year.

Wenger is one of the longest-serving managers in football, after joining Arsenal in 1996.

6. Carlo Ancelotti

Soccer manager of: Real Madrid

Salary: $10.5 million

Carlo Ancelotti joined Real Madrid from Ligue 1 side PSG, where he won them a league title. After his move to the Bernabeu, Carlo has become one of the highest paid managers in the world, ranking as the sixth-highest earner according to our list, pocketing $10.5 million a year.

The Italian coach has had a great start to the season, leading Real Madrid to a 22-game unbeaten streak, which was recently broken by Valencia.

5. Louis van Gaal

Soccer manager of: Manchester United

Salary: $11.75 million

After the retirement of the legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson, the esteemed role of Manchester United manager was taken over by handpicked Ferguson successor David Moyes. The former Everton boss had a torrid time at Old Trafford, only managing to stay at the Theatre Of Dreams for a single season, where United finished seventh; the Charity Shield Moyes’ solitary achievement.

After the sacking of Moyes, the Man United board appointed the Dutch coach Luis Van Gaal in an attempt to reinvigorate the side. Despite their shaky start to the season, the Red Devils have gained a little bit of form and are currently sitting third in the Premier League table.

4. Fabio Capello

Soccer manager of: Russia National Football Team

Salary: $13 million

It is definitely clear that no national team manager makes more money on a yearly basis than Fabio Capello in this list of highest paid football managers. Although Capello has not proven his worth with the Russian national team as of yet, he is still fourth on the list.

After quitting as the England national team coach, the Italian headed east, where he is earning a whopping $13 million a year.

3. Marcello Lippi

Soccer manager of: Guangzhou Evergrande

Salary: $14 million

Ever since joining the Chinese Super League side Guangzhou in 2012, Marcelo Lippi has led the side to two back-to-back titles. They also lifted the AFC Champions League trophy last year.

Marcello Lippi is best known for his work in Serie A. Lippi is a three-time Serie A Coach of the Year and has five Serie A titles to his name. Another notable achievement is when he led Italy to the 2006 World Cup, where his side defeated France in the final.

2. Jose Mourinho

Soccer manager of: Chelsea FC

Salary: $17 million

The “special one” is arguably the best manager in the world, having won titles in four different countries: namely, England, Spain, Italy and Portugal. When the Portuguese return to his beloved Chelsea, his salary roughly matched the $17 million he was earning at Real Madrid.

Jose Mourinho has broken numerous records with Real Madrid, with his side scooping the highest points tally – of 100 – in a single season, with the record number of goals scored by a team in a single season. During his time at Real Madrid, Mourinho only failed to win the Champions League, so now that he has returned to Chelsea FC his main aim will be to triumph in the European competition.

1. Pep Guardiola

Soccer manager of: Bayern Munich

Salary: $24 million

Pep Guardiola is probably the prominent most rival of Jose Mourinho. During his time at FC Barcelona, Pep managed to scoop every silverware any manager could hope for with the Spanish giants.

After signing for Bundesliga behemoths Bayern Munich, Pep has already won the Bundesliga, DFB Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. Apparently Bayern have the money to possess the highest paid football manager in the world, with his salary clocking in at a staggering $24 million.

Header image: “duke-0525” (CC BY 2.0) by Thomas Rodenbücher

A lot of money gets spent in football – not least on player wages and transfer fees. They can, at times, be staggering: enough money to fund an entire country or even help a poor nation out of debt. Today we’re taking a look at the top ten most expensive player transfers in history.

10. Luís Figo – €62M

9. David Luiz – €62.6M

8. Edinson Cavani – €64M

7. Kaká – €68M

6. Zlatan Ibrahimović – €69M

5. Zinedine Zidane – €75M

4. James Rodriguez – €70M

3. Cristiano Ronaldo – €94M

2. Luis Suárez – €94.7M

1. Gareth Bale – €100M

We’re used to hearing about footballers being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds per week. But who is really earning the most money after they’ve paid the taxman?

#	ATHLETE	YEARLY SALARY	WEEKLY	ENDORSMENTS
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	£15.0 M	£288,000	$20 M
2	Lionel Messi	£13.41 M	£257,000	$20 M
3	Neymar	£12.57 M	£241,000	$6 M
4	Zlatan Ibrahimovic	£12.16 M	£233,500	$1 M
5	Radamel Falcao	£11.74 M	£225,500
6	Wayne Rooney	£11.57 M	£222,500	$3 M
7	Sergio Aguero	£11.31 M	£217,500	$1 M
8	Yaya Toure	£10.90 M	£209,600
9	Robin Van Persie	£10.70 M	£200,000
10	Gareth Bale	£9.50 M	£182,500	$1 M
11	Fernando Torres	£8.50 M	£175,000	$1 M

There is no surprise as to who is earning the most – with Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Lionel Messi of Barcelona reportedly making £100,000 a day – while there are only two Englishmen – in Wayne Rooney and David Beckham – making it onto the list of the top ten highest earners.

Highest Earning Players in Football (Gross)

1. Lionel Messi – £30m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – £25.7m
3. Gareth Bale –  £20.7 m
4. Neymar – £17.1m
5. Sergio Aguero – £16.3m
6. Wayne Rooney – 15.4m
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £15m
8. Yaya Toure – £14.2m
9. Fernando Torres – £14m

Top 10 Richest Football Players In the World

1. David Beckham – £175m
2. Lionel Messi – £115.5m
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – £112m
4. Kaka – £66.5m
5. Ronaldinho – £63m
6. Samuel Eto’o – £52m
7. Wayne Rooney – £50m
8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £47m
9. Rivaldo – £45.5m
10. Rio Ferdinand – £42m